Sacred Heart students raise money in The Great Lemonade War

Stephen Green

Published 5:35 pm, Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Image 1of/3

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 3

Students from Sacred Heart Catholic School hand out cookies and lemonade after classes Wednesday. Students accepted donations as part of The Great Lemonade War. Every $50 funds one hour of childhood cancer research. Their goal is to raise $2,000.

Students from Sacred Heart Catholic School hand out cookies and lemonade after classes Wednesday. Students accepted donations as part of The Great Lemonade War. Every $50 funds one hour of childhood cancer

A lemon sugar cookie is seen during a lemonade stand fund raiser at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Wednesday. Students handed out cookies and lemonade after school to raise money for a former student battling cancer. less

A lemon sugar cookie is seen during a lemonade stand fund raiser at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Wednesday. Students handed out cookies and lemonade after school to raise money for a former student battling ... more

Photo: Jason Fochtman

Image 3 of 3

Students from Sacred Heart Catholic School during a fundraiser Wednesday for childhood cancer research.

Students from Sacred Heart Catholic School during a fundraiser Wednesday for childhood cancer research.

Photo: Jason Fochtman

Sacred Heart students raise money in The Great Lemonade War

1 / 3

Back to Gallery

It would be hard to match the enthusiasm and infectious optimism of the fourth-grade students at Sacred Heart Catholic School.

On Wednesday, they weren’t excited about a particular school event, assignment or hanging out with their friends. They wanted to raise money to help cure disease.

“We’ve been making signs in class and bringing cookies and lemonade,” said Bethany Stahlin, 9. “I think it’s for a good cause and that it’s a very important problem we need to solve because cancer is a big disease we need to learn how to fight.”

Danielle Bartholet, 9, said they have been getting ready for the event and that she is excited to be a part of the community service event.

“It helps kids who have cancer and people find a cure for cancer so people who have cancer can get better,” Bartholet said. “I love doing stuff like this and taking orders and basically community service. This is a fun way to do it in my own area.”

Sofia Zaballos, 9, also said she was glad to be out helping the charity.

“Everybody from the class has been bringing cookies or lemonade or cups and napkins to help get ready for it,” Zaballos said. “We need to fight cancer because cancer is a bad disease.”

This is the third year for the fourth grade class to be a part of Alex’s Lemonade Stand charity event that happens at hundreds of schools nationwide as part of The Great Lemonade War.

It’s a program based on the book “The Lemonade War” by Jacqueline Davies. Davies and the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation partner together every year to host the competition, although Sacred Heart doesn’t focus as much on winning as raising money.

This year, the students are donating their proceeds in honor of former Sacred Heart student Eva Clouse, brother of seventh-grader Wayne, who is battling cancer. For every $50 raised, an hour of childhood cancer research is funded.

Brenda Shafer, fourth grade English and social studies teacher, said the students have been working for about a month and have a goal of $2,000 this year. In the last two years, students have raised just over that goal every year. They earned $722 on Wednesday.

“They read the book and learn how much fun it is to have a lemonade stand,” Shafer said. “Then they get to come outside and actually have their own.

“The students love doing it. They get to participate like this and also make announcements at assembly, put posters up at a school and they feel good about it because it’s for a good cause.”

The stand will be up again Friday from 3 to 3:45 p.m. at the Sacred Heart Catholic School parking lot. They accept donations of any amount.